Rochester teams and individuals enjoyed a great amount of success in the 2017鈥�18 year. Three teams reached the national quarterfinals of the NCAA playoffs (鈥淓lite 8鈥�): field hockey, men鈥檚 soccer, and women鈥檚 basketball. Squash finished sixth nationally. Women鈥檚 track and field had an individual national champion. There is a lot to look forward to in the new year.
FALL
Men鈥檚 Cross Country: Six veterans will be on the circuit for the Yellowjackets in 2018. Seniors Hunter Phinney and Andrew Faulstich ran consistently last year along with Dan Allara 鈥�21. Their top times came at the NCAA Atlantic Regional in November. Ivan Frantz 鈥�20 was 34th of 209 at the UR Invitational. He ran second to Phinney.
Women鈥檚 Cross Country: Rachel Bargabos 鈥�19 will lead the Rochester pack after earning All-UAA and All-Region honors last season. At the NCAA Championships, she finished 81st in a field of 279 runners. Classmate Samantha Tetef finished 22nd or better in three races with more than 100 runners. Danielle Bartolotta 鈥�21 and Eileen Bequette 鈥�21 had strong seasons as first- year students.
Home Opener (Men and Women): UR Invitational, Saturday, September 15, 11 a.m., Genesee Valley Park
Field Hockey: The Yellowjackets were 18鈥�4 overall in 2017, a perfect 7鈥�0 in the Liberty League. They won the LL postseason tournament and earned a bye in the first round of the NCAA playoffs. Rochester defeated Husson College of Maine, 2鈥�1, in round two before losing to eventual national champion Middlebury in the Elite 8. Defender Courtney Dunham 鈥�19 was an All-American last year and Liberty League Defensive Player of the Year. She and Colleen Maillie 鈥�20 were First Team All-Region honorees. Maya Haigis 鈥�20 was named to the Second Team.
Home Opener: Sunday, September 9, 2 p.m., Utica College, Fauver Stadium.
Football: Chad Martinovich debuts at Rochester after achieving success at MIT in the last nine years. He guided the Engineers into the second round of the NCAA playoffs during his time in Cambridge. The Rochester roster includes 47 letter winners and 16 players returning with starting experience. Ricky Simcic 鈥�19 and Matt Capovani 鈥�19 are returning All-Liberty League players.
Home Opener: Saturday, September 8, noon, Carnegie Mellon, Fauver Stadium
Men鈥檚 Soccer: Defense has been the hallmark of Rochester鈥檚 men over the years. Last season, that defense, coupled with clutch scoring, carried the Yellowjackets to the Elite 8 round of the NCAA playoffs. It matched the highest finish in program history. Eight starters return, sparked by Bryce Ikeda 鈥�19 and Lucas Loecher 鈥�19. Both men earned All-Region honors as well as All-UAA honors. Rochester held 17 of 21 opponents to a goal or less and posted nine shutouts.
Home Opener: Friday, August 31, 7 p.m., Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Fauver Stadium
Women鈥檚 Soccer: Six starters鈥攖hree whom earned All- UAA honors in 2018鈥� are back for the Yellowjackets along with two experienced goalies. Jorie Freitag 鈥�20 earned UAA plaudits at forward while Liz Mastoloni 鈥�20 worked on defense and Margaret Lee 鈥�19 operated in midfield. In goal, Emma Campbell 鈥�21 had 49 saves and two shutouts in 10 games. Samantha Hlavac had 13 saves in three matches. The Rochester women traditionally play one of the nation鈥檚 toughest schedules and 2018 will be no different.
Home Opener: Saturday, September 8, 4 p.m., Geneseo, Fauver Stadium
Women鈥檚 Volleyball: A 19鈥�13 overall record last season included a sixth-place finish in the UAA Championships. Rochester will host the UAA tournament this season from November 2 to 3. The Yellowjackets
will build on last year鈥檚 late season finish (winning 7 of the last 10). The list of returnees includes Clara Martinez 鈥�19 (All-UAA honors for two straight years), Alara Kocak 鈥�19 (All-UAA in 2017), and Beth Ghyzel 鈥�20 (5th in the UAA in aces and 12th in assists).
Home Opener: September 7 and 8, UR Invitational, Palestra (5 p.m. on September 7 and 11 a.m. on September 8)
WINTER AND SPRING
- Men鈥檚 basketball has all five starters back from a team that finished 16鈥�9 last year and 24鈥�5 two years ago.
- Women鈥檚 basketball has three straight NCAA playoff appearances (24鈥�5 last year) but has to replace four starters.
- Both swimming and diving teams finished seventh at UAAs last year; 6鈥�5 overall. The women broke three school records. For the men, Stephen Savchik 鈥�20 was eighth on the one-meter board at the NCAA Zone Diving Championships.
- Squash was sixth nationally in 2018. All-American Ashley Davies will lead Rochester into a home schedule filled with powerhouses.
- Track and field: The men finished fifth at the Liberty League indoor and outdoor championships. The women sent people to the indoor and outdoor NCAA Championships (Kylee Bartlett 鈥�19 earned two All- America honors and won the heptathlon championship). Rochester was second in the Liberty League championships in both seasons.
- Baseball will build on its success after earning the top seed in the Liberty playoffs last year
- Softball played 11 of its first 12 vs. Top 25 teams last year. Eight starters are back.
- Women鈥檚 lacrosse earned its 200th all-time victory last year.
- Golf shoots for another Liberty League title after winning in 2017 and finishing third in 2018.
- Women鈥檚 rowing won the New York State Championship in the Varsity 4s.
- Men鈥檚 tennis defeated New York University to finish seventh at the UAA Championships.
- Women鈥檚 tennis wants to build on its post-Florida run last spring when Rochester won six of eight matches.
